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I think the pistil is the single vase-shaped stalk in the centre of the flower. The stamen are the dozen individual tall skinny filaments surrounding the pistil. The second pic shows this more clearly. There is clearly a central pistil surrounded by a ring of stamen.

Pray tell. How does one frame a photo whilst looking at the sun through the viewfinder without being blinded?
I assume sunglasses or something are the order of the day here but even then I assume that there are sighting issues.
I like the photo as well BTW I think the flare just adds to it in that particular photo.

In any case, if it bothers you so much, you could also use the DoF preview.

Rooz, does it make a difference which one you use? I was using II because I thought that was the best for the least post-processing, but it is driving me nuts when I switch back and forth between manual modes (A-priority or P-mode) vs the the auto modes, like macro or sports. With II, it puts the underscore before the name, and the other way it goes between. Then it is so hard to find the right picture when I want to upload it or email it. Will I be better off switching to Ia?

Rooz, does it make a difference which one you use? I was using II because I thought that was the best for the least post-processing, but it is driving me nuts when I switch back and forth between manual modes (A-priority or P-mode) vs the the auto modes, like macro or sports. With II, it puts the underscore before the name, and the other way it goes between. Then it is so hard to find the right picture when I want to upload it or email it. Will I be better off switching to Ia?

First of all, you have it a little backwards, or maybe sideways. Color mode II is tied to AdobeRGB, which has a wider color gamut. It's also the most "neutral" of the color modes, so it doesn't tend to pop off the screen initially. However, this makes it ideal for people who want to post process their images. It gives the best starting point and greatest potential if you are going to post process.

However, if the image is destined for the web, then sRGB is better, because browsers are better at interpreting sRGB than they are AdobeRGB. If you are going to use the other modes (besides II) then you should think of Ia as the people mode and mode III as the landscape mode.

Personally, I post process all my images, so I just leave the camera on mode II, AdobeRGB, and forget about it. Unfortunately, I sometimes (usually) forget about it when I go to post on the web as well.

PS: I think it's actually the AdobeRGB vs sRGB that results in a different naming convention. At least, that's what I recall.